Recap Frostbite #6, the Bud Light Cup
"Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second.”
The WCSC 2021 Frostbite series concluded with the 6th and final race Saturday. No frost, no rain, and, of course, no wind. Two out of three ain’t bad? Notwithstanding the light breeze, it was a lovely day to be on the water. And on the water we were, a record 10 boats participating.
Due to an engine problem on the pontoon boat, race Committee was required to use the Carolina Skiff as signal boat. Not a problem in light wind, only 1 cinder block needed as anchor. Racing was delayed about 30 minutes to allow the two participating dinghies to SAIL out of the harbor.
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep”…snowman flag up, wait 60 seconds, snowman flag down and clock starts counting. The start sequence went perfectly. The boats then started in order of their PHRF rating, slower rating before faster rating. No hassle or yelling on the start line; this is one of the perks of pursuit start races. All the boats started at or near their assigned times.
The course chosen at the skippers’ meeting was Course “F”, with Buoy 26A TS at the southern end of Andersonville Island the most distant mark. Admittedly, an ambitious course, given the wind forecast of 7 to 5. At worst, RC could shorten course to allow the fleet to complete the race.
It was light at the start, and light for most of the race. Then it was lighter. All the boats had made it around 26A TS and were racing back towards the finish at Buoy S20. By about 4:00, only one boat had gotten past the Water Quality buoy (near the northern end of Andersonville Island), one boat was at that buoy, and the remainder of the fleet parked between S10 and the Water Quality buoy. Radio communications between the event coordinators led to establishing a time limit for the race; at 4:30, the race would be terminated. There was conversation of taking times at the Water quality Buoy and declaring a shortened course finish there, but race committee had already set up to shorten course at buoy S19, about 1.3 miles further down the lake. Only one boat was adequately advanced on the race course to reach the “new” finish line at buoy S19 before the 4:30 deadline. That boat finished the race and was declared winner. None of the remaining 9 boats could get to the shortened course finish line before the 4:30 deadline; these boats were scored “did not finish”. Congratulations to George Masson in the Ultimate 24 E’alu’ on his horizon-job win in the 2021 Bud Lite Cup.
Some metrics for the 2021 Frostbite Series:
-17 skippers sailed in at least 1 race.
-5 skippers sailed in 4 or more races and qualified for season ranking.
-The event averaged 7 boats per race.
-9 of the skippers don’t race with the CB or KB fleet.
These numbers represent significant participation, certainly on par with the CB and KB fleets. This in the winter, without the usual post-race soup or chili, and several events in cold, rain, and way too much wind. Whatever the shortcomings of pursuit start random leg racing, there is a place for it at WCSC.
Congratulations to John Barnard for his 1st place in the series, Ben Gibson (and Pat) for their 2nd, and the Bolan Boys for 3rd.
As always, the race results and season ranking can be found on our website:
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